This pains me, but there's little I can do about it.
There are Pears by the hundreds,
Quinces by the score,
Apples by the bucket load,
And even Marrows by the dozen on the compost.... I could go on!
We eat as much as we can, and we preserve as much as we can. We encourage others to take whatever they want. And we despair as we watch so much good fruit and veg' go to waste.
It's something all us country folk get used to, I know; but it doesn't make over production any easier.
30 comments:
That really is a shame. If only there was some way to get it all to hungry people!
Ever thought about making apple or pear cider?
We made quite a lot of grape juice this year, but my press needs the fruit to be quite soft. I might try pressing the pears as they're quite 'squishy'.
http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/food-and-drink/features/greek-classics-743679.html
Here's a link to a gorgeous Greek recipe for a pie that might help you use up some more of those marrows!
Yes, that does sound good. At present I'm just adding them to my 'Compost Soup' as ballast.
It makes the 3 rock hard pears that I bought yesterday look a bit sad!
There is a limit to the number of stuffed marrows one can eat in a season. Perhaps growing fewer might be a solution?
They were supposed to be compact courgette plants, but turned out to be 'spreading' plants. Eventually the giant leaves took over and I could no longer see what was underneath. I am now finding these wretched marrows all over the plot. I am putting big chunks into soup, but only because I hate waste.
I just wish I could send you some.
Painful to watch, but what can you do? If you took them into town and gave them away, the French farmers would probably have you guillotined.
Do you like pickled cucumbers? I have a recipe for 'bread and butter' cucumbers which is well loved by my family and friends. Apparently (though I haven't tried) the recipe is just as good with zucchini (courgettes). Would you like me to email it to you/post it here?
That's very kind, but all our Courgettes became giant Marrows. I've now pulled-up all the plants.
Unfortunately everyone has the same glut; you can't even give stuff away.
Is there not a 'food bank' for the impoverished near you that you could donate a lot of this to?
Sadly, no. I'd like to fill a big box and leave it outside my supermarket with a note, but I expect they'd have me guillotined.
Was this year an unusually great growing year? If this is a regular September bounty, perhaps next year some sort of fruit gathering event could be organized...for children.
I'm not sure about all those marrows, though.
Best wishes.
Nothing particularly special. I have a 1950's book that was written about my area, it's called 'The Generous Earth'.
Reading this post I was reminded of a comment made by someone about an over-abundance of zucchini....he cautioned, "Roll up your car windows if you drive around Little Lake Valley." ;-)
If it gets anywhere like that here; I'll let you know!
I should have thought and said that in New Zealand when people have bumper crops they often put the overspill at the roadside and sometimes they are a cheap price, sometimes a charity box and sometimes free.
Out here in the country, everyone has the same 'problem' as myself. We ALL have glut!
Oh I know what you mean I have apples coming out of my ears and unfortunately they are not keepers. The wasps are having a field day.
Up here in the North of the UK Cro we rarely have this kind of waste - it is such a short season. Wish I was near enough to raid that compost heap for a marrow or two.
The waste would bother me, too. I'd like to make some apple or pear butter with some of your surplus.
It sounds as though nature's bounty is running wild. What a pity there is no way all this abundance can't be given to those in need. I hate the thought of waste too, but you seem to be doing your best to use everything you can.
If you do Facebook, there is a French/Brit ex-pat small-holders group and sure to be someone with pigs who would love to come and trailer your excess away
I hate throwing away food that took a lot of my sweat to grow. However, having extra is usually the case and what can one do. . At this point, i don't think I could eat another tomato or anything else that contains that named fruit.
I'm going to attempt Apple Leather!
The horses are happy, although they don't seem to like the Marrows.
I have a box full of slowly ripening tomatoes.... I'm thinking SOUP.
I've put a couple aside for soup, I'm not sure how long they keep.
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